Combination ice cream carton and toy



April 28, 1953 C. S. SHANK COMBINATION ICE CREAM CARTON AND TOY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1950 IINVENTOR. cal/imam /m/v/r April 28, 1953 c s s K 2,636,313

COMBINATION ICE CREAM CARTON AND TOY Filed June 10, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

. Aim/"M645 Apnl 28, 1953 c. s. SHANK 3 COMBINATION ICE CREAM .CARTONAND TOY Filed June 10, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet a III!!! INVENTOR. (Mam/e55 sm/v/r Patented Apr. 28, 1953 COMBINATION ICE CREAM CARTON AND TOY Clarence S. Shank, Saginaw, Mich., assignor ofonehalfto Robert Critchfield Application June 10, 1950, Serial No. 167,364

This invention relates to improvements in waxed paper cartons for ice cream and similar food products and pertains more specifically to certain printedindicia thereon which is designed to enable the user to construct three-dimensional toys or play things therefrom.

The size, shape, and construction of ice cream cartons have in recent years become more or less standardized due to the general acceptance in the trade of the machines for folding, filling, and sealing the containers; hence the designs or patterns contemplated by the present invention must necessarily be subjugated to cartons of uniform configuration and certain prescribed proportions.

, One of the objects of the invention is to provide markings and directions on a carton blank of the character described above which will accommodate the conversion thereof into a toy or play thing for children or a display piece for use as an advertising medium.

Another object of the invention is to provide art work on the carton blank simulating, for example, the side elevational views and roof of a cottage rendered with sufficient artistic appeal to arrest the attention of a child and create a de-- sire for the toy made therefrom, the ultimate purpose of the art work residing in a plan to stimulate the sale of the particular brand of goods packed in the carton. Another object of the invention is to provide a design that will afford maximum utilization of acarton. v

, Another object of the invention is to provide a carton blank that may be converted into a toy of greater dimensions than the carton originally formed therefrom. a The paper stock generally employed in the production of ice cream cartons is of superior quality and texture, is relatively heavy in weight, and, after printing, the wax treatment to which it is subjected will enable it to withstand washing without injury thereto. Thus when the invention is applied to the exemplary embodiment re- 5 Claims. (01. 46';-11)

ferred to above the toys produced therefrom will be durable, attractive of appearance, and free from rugged, broken edges in or about the folded portions thereof. It will be understood, however, that the invention is susceptible of use in other environs and with other materials and that the ice cream carton and building structure illustrated herein are merely illustrative of one adaptation of the improvements encompassed by the inventive concept.

Further objects of the invention contemplate 9 and 20 that form the end walls thereof.

three-dimensional toys from cartons which are customarily discarded after the initial use thereof, designs which may be printed on the carton blanks with little if any additional unitary cost, toys which are novel and attractive in appearance, and designs for toys that hold the interest and tax the dexterity of a child during theproduction thereof. Other objects and advantages, more 'or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized will appear, in the following description, which, consideredin connection with the-accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings: F 1 Fig. l is a plan view of acarton blank embodying the design and instruction data embraced by the presentinventionp I Fig. 2 is a view'in perspective of a carton made from a plain blank of'the' form illustrated inFig. 1; i

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are plan views of the several parts of the toy after such parts have been sever.- ed from the blank illustrated in Fig. 1 and fabricated in accordance with the instructions printed on the waste por tions of the blank or concealed parts of the'toy;[ Y

Fig. 6 is a composite view in perspective of the several parts of 'the blank after the initial folding operation thereof p Fig. 7 is an en'd'elevational view of the "carton blank illustrating the initial step of assembly; Fig. 8 is' a view in perspective of a fragmentary portion of the, toy illustrating the next step 'of assembly, the portions of'the end tongues of the blank being broken away and shown in section in the interest of clarity; and Fig. 9 is a viewin perspective of the complete assembly. I

,Referring first to Fig. 1, the'ice cream carton blank, which is configured to meet the structural and functional requirements of the packaging machines now in'current use, comprises a panel Ill having verticafscores H (indicated by dotdash lines) thereon defining the top I2, bottom 13, and sides 14 and I5 of the carton and a horizontal scored line It defining atongue. A number of cuts lfia are made perpendicular to the vertical scores I l, thereby defining tongues ll, l8, The face of the blank is printed with a design representing, in the exemplary case, the roof plan, chimney, and side elevational views of a cottage or. dwelling of the .form illustrated in Fig. 9.

During the printing operation slots a, c, d, and f are cut in the tongue I9 to form the keepers for certain locking tabs for the toy. The etching or other printing medium for the design also includes cutting and folding instructions, reference therein being made to the dash lines indicating the cuts to be made, the dotted lines indicating the iiolds, and the alphabetical characters inf reference indicating the tabs and "pierced 1381 in s in the fabricated narts of the to It will be observed that the design is planned to fall within the confines of the blank-Land that the scored folding lines for the carton are prefer. ably, though not necessarily, used in the construction of the toy. For example, the lines 4 8 in the blank form the bending guides fior the roof, While the lines ll facilitate the .fQldSjQI-kthfl ends of the building structure.

The blank illustrated in Fig. 1, when folded and assembled with the tongues in interlocked r-rel timtziorm the nrismoidel containerzshownin When ithe toy is KUQHStEUQiEd itheretrom .aboth ,ends of the carton are opened and the blank :is cuti-nto along the ndashjline 1. The supper ipane'l :lFiiss. it :andfi) is ithencut :along the ,dash lines :23, '24, andiili, then the 81013526 {and ,2! ans formed for the retention of the chimney, theislits :oandlh my be contain the carton donguesifl, :and the material defining the slots a, :0, d, ,and f is flexed tosfree :the wax therein-in (order to:.accom :morlazte :t-he zready assembly of the similarly marked :tabs "in-the Llower ton ue H. .Ihe ;:-lower animal i1 ands") is .dabricated rbymutting the stock along the dash lines 23, 29, 3t, and 332,

shearing e c imneyztrnm theimaigg-inal portion or :the awaits material itongue L8 as 2indicated :by the dash :lines and zcutting the slots 35 and 36 for the chimnexsand rcuttingzthe :dash lines-3 1,36, 139., and dflitoiformithetabsia, C, D, and The itwoasanels armneutiolded along the scored lines H and 16, the dotted line 4| fin ithelloweripanelpand ootteddinesillz in thechimvney sto :Iorm the building elements .indicated gen- =erallyiniFigfi.

1in assembly :the :tab 1A :insfirted into the slut in GE-lg. 157;) the tongue Bsinto ztheslotihtm tab C into the slot 0, the tab D into the-islet ,d, the :tongue E :the 'slot 6, and the tab .5 into :the

slot if. xlluring {the assembly :of the tabs and tongues as outlined above, the 109131131 tabs-G and H gin the ilower zpanel are winserted into athe rkerfs :iormedabyithei-slitsiyaand lain the nn erpanel-as illustrated in Rig. ,8. II heitolded ,ohimneyis then iinserted into the slots .25., '21, 4 35, and .3 6,, which generation (completes ithe .assembly of the toy lshownin Figs-9,.

It will be recognized that-reformation .iOlf the icartonvblank iof .Fi-g. ,1 for the package 2 is attained by the novel use of the mlgihai 4 line at the juncture of one of the larger sides and one of the smaller sides, flaps extending from each end of the sides respectively, and slots formed in the flaps for joining the portions of the building into a composite structure wherein the large sides become the roof section of the building and the small sides become the side walls of the building, the czl lysmal :dimensions of the building being "larger than the carton from which the building is constructed.

'2. A toy building constructed from a carton of gnaraillelepiped [form having two sides substanltially larger than the other two sides, the toy building being formed from two portions of said zoartomssaid carton :being divided along a cutting *line at the juncture of one of the larger sides zandlonepf rthessmaller sides, flaps extending from each end of the sides respectively, slots formed in the-flaps for joining the portions of the building into a composite structure wherein the large hides zbemmei herooi section of the building, the small become the side wallsoi thebuilding, maidthevfiaps form the ends of the :buildin hthe dimensions of the :building being ;larger than the canton :irom which the building is constructed.

,3. 1A toy buildingconstructed ,from a carton of parallelepiped :form having ,two sides substantially larger than .the other tw sides the toy modding-being formed from two ,portions of said canton, saidcanton being divided along a cutting. dine atthe dunctureiof one of the larger sides and 3111!! i the smaller -sides, .fiaps extending irom each and eof the sides respectively, slots for-med sin some ,of the .zflaps zand tongues ,on other flaps ator engaging the slot thereby joining the pertions of the {building into ,a composite structure wherein the large sides become the roof section of the building :and the small ,sides become the side walls of the building, th physiQaldimen :sions (of the building being larger than the ,carthan strum which the building is constructed.

s. -hitoy building constructed from a carton of ipalallel.o l z ii storm having .two sides substantially larger than -;the other .two sides, said car- *being divided along a cutting ,line ,at the iuncturerof -o ne -of ,the largersides andoneof the :smaller sides, :representations of portions of a building structure printed thereon, the roof structure {being printed on the ,larger sides and the wall structure being -p.rinted .on the smaller sides, flaps extending from each end of thesides aespeotivelyandwallstructure,representatibnlbe- Ping printed on said.: flaps, slots ,formed in some :o'f ithe hens and tongues formed ,onlother flags for engaging the slots, a chimney printed-omens of :said flaps .tfor cutting out and placing on ,the moot, the side walls ,of the building being joined by :said tongues and slots thereby forming ;a-

building without iavfiQOf, the ,physical dimensions inf zthegbuilding being larger .th.an the cartonirom which thebuildingisconstructed.

15. .A toy building ,constructedirom{a carton oi parallelepiped :iorm Ihaving two sides substan- :tialll'largflr than the other two sides, saidrcarengaging the slots, a chimney printed on one of said flaps for cutting out and placing on the roof, slots in the roof portion for receiving the chimney, the side Walls of the building being joined by said tongues and slots thereby forming a building without a floor, the physical dimension of which being larger than the carton from which the building is constructed.

CLARENCE S. SHANK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Number Date Pfeiffer Oct. 19, 1909 15 Number Number 

